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War of the Horn
The 'War of the Horn '''was an armed conflict between tiefling rebels and loyalists in Corgana. The war lasted from 1446 to 1452 OCA. An estimated five million people on both sides were killed during the conflict. Background King Rodrick XIII rose to power in 1421 OCA, and made numerous promises to win the favor of tieflings in Corgana, something that nobody in the royal family had ever held. Within a few years however, it became obvious that he did not intend to keep any such promises. In 1426 OCA, after two years of campaigning, popular tiefling activist Trist Veracutio was granted permission to build the city of Tief on land purchased from a noble on the island of Sthara. Within two years the city was constructed and tieflings fled by the thousand for the new island. Trist, however, did not give up the fight in Corgana and continued his campaign for tiefling rights, founding the Sons of Mephistopheles. Over the next twenty years, the Sons would slowly degrade from a political party to a terrorist cell as relations between King Rodrick and Trist and his cabinet continued to deteriorate. The first major act of violence occured in 1444 OCA when a Sons member attempted to assassinate a member of the King's Round Table. The tiefling was subdued and summarily executed by the Table member's bodyguard, but the damage was done and the man died of his wounds later in the night. Outraged, Corganan citizens demanded that the king exterminate the Sons. King Rodrick initially hesitated, not eager to add another chapter to Corgana's long and bloody war record. However, in the ensuing months multiple attacks on civilians were reported and support for war became overwhelming. Finally, in 1446, Rodrick relented after a Sons raiding party attacked a trade caravan in broad daylight, killing over a dozen men in cold blood. Rodrick declared war on the Sons and all who supported them. Conflict Rodrick mobilized the Corganan Royal Army, deploying over 500,000 career soldiers in the first wave alone. The first campaign by the loyalists was a disaster- tiefling rebels used extremely effective guerilla tactics to out-manuever and ambush the royal troops. The most famous example is the Battle of Boulder Run, which took place a few leagues west of White City. A royal detachment of over 8,000 soldiers was ambushed and routed by a force of less than 1,000 rebels, who used the terrain to their advantage while pelting the soldiers with powder bombs. In 1447, Rodrick regrouped the Corganan force and initiated a draft for all able-bodied men in Corgana between the age of 18 and 30. Over two million men were forcefully drafted, many of whom had never held a weapon in their lives. However, the sheer numbers of the renewed loyalist force proved to be decisive. By 1449, most of the Sons were on the run and the loyalists won several key victories, forcing many rebels into the open where they were easily defeated. The war was brought to a decisive close in 1452 at the Battle of Bywater. A massive force of Corganans, over 50,000 strong and led by the king himself, marched on a known Sons camp outside the town. The tiefling rebels were tired and numbered just 12,000. Trist Veracutio ordered his men to stand their ground, but by this time only the loyalest of his men stood by him. The rest scattered into the night, with most being slaughtered by the Corganan army in an event tieflings call the Red March. The remaining Sons members, totalling just under 1,000, stood and fought and were slaughtered almost to the man. Trist escaped during the battle with some of his most trusted advisors and to this day remains at large. Aftermath The War of the Horn remains one of the deadliest conflicts in world history, with over five million souls dying over the war's 6-year span. Corganans still feel the sting of its loss, with numerous men from the region being drafted and perishing in the war. The Sons of Mephistopheles were scattered and continue operations, but on a much smaller scale. Attacks occur and cells surface every few months, but they are quashed by the Corganan army within days. Trist Veracutio remains at large and is rumored to be hiding along the coast of Corgana in his personal ship, the ''Hellchild. There is an ever-increasing reward, now totalling millions of crowns, for information leading to his death or live capture. He is the most wanted man by the Royal Army and posters bearing his image are posted in virtually every town in Corgana. Tieflings from Corgana at least partially mourn for those lost to the brutal tactics of the army during the Battle of Bywater (which they often sardonically call the 'Bywater Massacre'). On the anniversary of the event, 14 Tumbletree, most Corganan tieflings observe Red March Memorial Day. See Also *Assylis Tehreman, Roman d'Argon, Luna Fairwater - famous adventurers who participated in the war. *Trist Veracutio - the general of the tiefling rebels. *Rodrick XIII - the general of the loyalists and king of Corgana. *Corgana *Sthara Category:Events Category:Lore Category:Wars